1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of patient examination tables. More particularly, the invention is concerned with a patient examination table including a selectively engageable, pivot mechanism allowing the table to be pivoted about an upright pivot axis in order to position the table as needed for ready usage of the examination equipment by holding a probe in either the left or right hand of an examiner.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Patient examination tables such as those for echocardiography are usually oriented with relation to examination equipment having a tethered probe in a manner that is more convenient for either left-handed or right-handed usage of the probe. When an examiner needs to examine a patient using the hand opposite of that for which the equipment was arranged, the arrangement presents an awkward and thereby inefficient situation. In the alternative, the equipment and examination table can be rearranged, but this is inconvenient and inefficient as well because the rooms are usually small and such tables are typically heavy and the equipment delicate. Moreover, the equipment is connected with a number of lines and cables that make moving of the equipment an inconvenient and a time consuming task.